Container closure having spring biased slidable dispensing valve



p 15, 1953 R. J. LAGEMANN 2,652,177

CONTAINER CLOSURE HAVING SPRI BIASED SLIDABLE DISPENSING VA Filed May 5,1950 INVENTOR. Faber? James Zayemann 'M/ W @W Patented Sept. 15, 1953STATE-S PATENT OFFICE G()lI'I-AIIWIER *GLOSURE HAVING SPRING BIAS-ED.SLIDA-BLE DISPENSING VALVE Robert JJLagemann, Brooklyn, N. Y.

ApplicationMay-5, 1950,:S'erial No. 1603563 -1 Claim. .1

This invention has broad reference to 'a cap adapted to be used inconnection with tubular containers, and especially for such containers'as are used in the dispensing of toothpaste andyor shaving :cream.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, eflicient, durable,and economi'callymanu- .Iactured cap which .canbe readily screwed on tothe end of a container, and is so constructed with a manipulaldle valvearrangement as to permit the material to be readily dispensed, and whicheflicientlyprevents-leakage of the material when the device is not inuse, and in which the parts, when :not in use, are latched in aninoperative position.

A further object is to provide a simple and efficient device which may:be made of metal, molded plastic, or other material, and which iscomposed of a minimum number of simple .cooperative elements,eiiectively operative and capableof being produced and assembled at avery low cost.

Further and more specific objects, features and advantages will moreclearly appear from a consideration of the detailed specificationhereinafter set forth, especially when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings which .illustrate a present preferred form whichthe invention may assume and which form part of the specification.

In brief and general terms, the device comprises a cap of metal ormolded material having a closed top and a threaded bore extending upfrom the bottom thereof. A valve passage is disposed transversely Withinthe cap body, and is connected with said threaded bore by a suitablepassage. Within the valve passage is a slidable plug valve backed by aspring and having a stem projecting through an opening of the wall inthe cap body. This valve stem is, in any suitable manner, pivotallyconnected to a manipulable operating lever which is L-shaped, having abase portion connected to the stem and an integral arm extending atright angles to the base, and adapted to be engaged by the finger of theoperator. In the latched position of the parts, the base of the leverlies along the wall of the cap and the arm thereof lies along andagainst the top of the cap. In the operative position of the lever, thebase thereof lies along the wall of the cap with the arm thereofextending outwardly from said wall and adapted to be depressed to movethe valve to open the passage for material from the tube through thecap.

shown in the drawings, of which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-section through the cap with the parts intheir closed and latched positions;

2 is a similar view showing the operating lever in its operativeposition ready to be engaged by the finger of the operator;

Fig. -3 is a similar view showing the parts in position when the leverhas been depressed to permit discharge'of material; and,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device with the partsin latched position.

Referring now merely to the specific preferred form shown in thedrawing, it will be seen that the invention includes a cap body portionI0 which may be made of any suitable material such as metal, or may bemolded from plastic material. 'I his body portion is closed at the "top,but has a 'central threaded bore H extending upwardly thereinto from the'bottom wall thereof. Also, :iormed within the body portion is a valvepassage 12 disposed near the top of the body portion 10 and extending atright angles to the bore H This valve passage, as shown, opens into thewall of tire 'cap in the :figures, and :a connecting passage it connectsthe more M with the valve passage '1 2 near the open end thereof.

Slidable within the valve passage I2 is a plug valve I 4, back of whichis disposed a compression spring l5 which tends normally to hold theplug valve in its left hand position in the passage I 2 with its frontface I6 flush with a wall of the cap as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and inthis position cutting ofi the discharge of any material from the tubethrough the passage It. When' the valve is retracted to the positionshown in Fig. 3, it at least partly uncovers the passage 13 to permitdischarge of material from the tube through the bore II, the passage I3and out of the open end of the valve passage l2.

In order to manipulate the valve, it is provided with a stem 51 whichextends rearwardly through an opening IS in the wall of the cap. Inorder to operate the valve, this stem is connected to an operating leverhaving a base portion l9, and an arm portion 2|] integrally connectedthereto and forming an L-shaped lever. Preferably, the free end of thebase portion I9 is in the form of a yoke having spaced arms 2| and 22apertured to receive a pin 23 passing through the apertures therein, andthrough a suitable aperture in the end of the stem IT.

This pin 23 passes through the yoke arms of the base portion l9 neartheir outer ends. It will be seen from a consideration of the drawingsthat this operating L-shaped lever may be disposed as shown in Fig. 1with its base [9 lying along the Wall of the cap, and with its armdisposed along the top of the cap, and that in this position, the valveis closed and the parts are in a latched inoperative position. To movethe parts into operative position, it is merely necessary to swing thelever from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2in which position the base member is again disposed flatly along theside wall of the cap, but in this position the arm portion 20 thereofextends outwardly at right angles to the wall of the cap of the baseportion, in which position it may be manipulated by the finger of theoperator to be depressed or moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 whichwill cause the right hand motion of the stern I1 and the valve l4 touncover the above mentioned passage against the resistance of the springI5, and per mits the discharge of material as above described.

It will thus be seen that having provided the cap with suitably formedpassages, the operating parts comprise four simple elements, namely; thevalve and stem, the spring, the operating lever, and the connecting pin.The cap may be molded preferably of plastic or metal, and the otherparts may be economically produced by mass produc tion methods, andtheir assembling can be achieved with equal economy. The devicetherefore is extremely simple, composed of a minimum number ofcooperating parts which can be latched in inoperative position, ormovable to the operative position by the mere flip of the finger.

While the invention has been described in detail and shown with respectto the accompanying drawing, it is not to be limited to such details,since many changes and modifications may be made in the inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Hence, it isdesired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the inventionwhich may come within the language and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In material dispenser for substitution in place of the cap of acollapsible container, a body having a portion presenting a recess withwall formations for coacting with inter-engaging formations on thecontainer to hold the body on the container, the body having a valvepassage terminating at the surface of the body and formed with amaterial passage connecting the recess and the valve passage atpositions well within the confines of the body, a valve member movablydisposed within the valve passage and constructed to simultaneouslyclose the material passage and the valve passage when the valve memberis at one end of its path of movement with its end projected at least tothe plane of said surface of the body at the discharge end of the valvepassage, the valve member having a valve stem movable therewith, acoiled spring disposed around the valve stem between the valve memberand a part of said body and. normally biasing the valve member towardthe aforesaid end of its path of movement, and a valve operating handlesubstantially pivotally connected to the valve stem and arranged andconstructed to fit wholly snugly against the body of a non-projectinginoperative position when the handle is swung in one direction about itspivotal connection with the valve stem and to be held tightly againstthe body in projecting operative condition when the handle is swung inthe reverse direction, the spring being in re-acting relation to thebody to hold the handle in either its non-projecting inoperativecondition or its projecting operative position.

ROBERT J. LAGEMANN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 483,690 Jones Oct. 4, 1892 832,499 Nystrom et al Oct. 2, 1906872,536 Nystrom Dec. 3, 1907 1,356,837 Stegmaier Oct. 26, 1920 1,837,552Kelly Dec. 22, 1931 1,848,172 Hengesbach Mar. 8, 1932 2,046,474 MaggentiJuly 7, 1936 2,135,178 Glauber Nov. 1, 1938 2,263,731 Hynek Nov. 25,1941 2,327,285 Opitz Aug. 17, 1943

